Method of making reels



Dec. 7, 1965 BQwEBB 3,221,612

METHOD OF MAKING REELS Original Filed March 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR LEWIS B. WEBB GENT Dec. 7, 1965 L. B. WEBB 3,221,612

METHOD OF MAKING REELS Original Filed March 11, 1963 2 heets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LEWIS B. WEBB WW inn/MW AGENT United States Patent Office 3,221,612 METHOD OF MAKING REELS Lewis Benton Webb, Mount Airy, N .C.,' assignor to Essex Wire Corporation, Fort Wayne, Ind., a corporation of Michigan Original application Mar. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,291. Divided and this application Feb. 23, 1965, Ser. No.

440,055 3 Claims. (Cl. 93-1 This application is 'a division of my copending application, Serial No. 264,291, filed March 11, 1963.

This invention relates to reels and to a method for making reels. More particularly, this invention is concerned with improved reels or spools of the type upon which is wound wire, cordage, fabric and similar strand material, and to a method of making such reels or spools. I

Reels or spools of the type to which this invention is directed generally comprise a cylindrical or tubular body having heads on each end of greater diameter than the body. Some such reels have in recent years been formed of corrugated paperboard and like foldable sheet material to reduce the cost and weight of the reel. Such previous constructions using corrugated paperboard were, in gen eral, somewhat time-consuming and expensive to assemble, and not entirely satisfactory in use. Furthermore,

the parts of such previous constructions could not be fully assembled in a flat condition, and thus the assembled reels required considerable storage space at the place of their use.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved reel formed from foldable sheet material such as corrugated paperboard and a novel and simple method of constructing such a reel which avoids certain of the difficulties experienced with previous reels. Another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive and durable reel constructed of a pair of identically shaped parts of foldable sheet material such as corrugated paperboard which parts may be united while in flat form and subsequently shaped to final form at the place of use in a convenient manner.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method of forming a reel of the foregoing "character which is easily and economically accomplished.

These and related objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one of two identical blanks showing the one blank after being united to the other blank but before being shaped to final form;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a completed reel shaped from the two blanks;

' FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the completed 3,221,612 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 ing the apparatus parts and the reel upon completion of the shaping operation.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES l, 2 and 3, it will be observed that the reel 10 of the present invention is constructed of two identical disk-like blanks 11 and 12 formed of suitable foldable form-retaining sheet material such as corrugated paperboard. As the blanks 11 and 12 are identical to each other, a specific description Will be made only of the parts of the blank 11. The parts of the blank 12 identical to the parts of the blank 11 are given the corresponding reference numeral with the suffix A.

The blank 11 is of annular form preferably having a circular outer periphery and a circular inner periphery which defines the opening 13. At its inner peripheral portion, the blank 11 has a series of equally spaced, openended radial slits 14 of equal length extending from the opening 13. Such slits 13 define a series of uniform tabs 15 which are connected to the outer peripheral portion 16 of the blank 11 only at their outer ends. The blanks 11 and 12 may be cut from suitable sheet material with conventional, well-known equipment.

In assembling the reel 10, the two blanks 11 and 12 are placed in opposing relation with the slits 14 of the blank 11 in registry with the corresponding slits of the blank 12 as shown in FIGURE 1. The blanks 11 and 12 are then united by inserting fastening devices 17 such as metal staples through the aligned pair of tabs 15 and 15A near their inner ends. As the blanks are secured together in superposed relation While in flat condition, the fastening devices 17 may be applied simultaneously to all of the tabs. For instance, fastening devices such as staples may be applied simultaneously by means of an array of conventional staple-driving heads with a common anvil operated by a single power actuator. Other well known metal stitching apparatus for applying staples formed from a continuouslength of wire may also be used in a similar manner. Thus, it will be seen that the blanks 11 and 12 may be united in a fast and economical manner, and when so united, may be shipped and stored in a flat condition occupying a minimum of space.

Although the united pair of blanks 11 and 12 described above may be shaped to reel form in various ways, this operation in accordance with this invention is preferably effected by applying radial outwardly-directed forces to the inner peripheral edges of the blanks defined by the openings 13 and 13A. It has been discovered that the application of uniform outwardly-directed forces to the inner peripheral edges of the blanks while maintaining the inner ends of the tabs 15 and 15A in a common plane causes the tabs to bend at their outer edges and along lines adjacent the united inner edges, thus causing the outer peripheral portions 16 and 16A to separate. After the tabs 15 and 15A have been bent to the positions illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, the blanks 11 and 12 have been shaped to final reel form with the tabs 15 and 15A defining a cylindrical or tubular body portion 18 and the peripheral portions 16 and 16A, respectively, defining head portions 19 and 20 of greater diameter than the body portion 18. After the reel 10 has been so shaped, it may be placed directly upon a winding mandrel and Wire or other flexible material is wound upon the body portion 18. Ordinarily, the material wound upon the reel 10 is adequate to hold the reel in its desired form. However, if

desired, a strip of corrugated paperboard or other material may be wound upon the bent tabs 15 and 15A and secured thereon to maintain the head portions 19 and 20 separated and to strengthen the reel 10. This would also provide a smooth liner surface upon which the flexible material may be wound. It should be noted that such a liner ordinarily would not be required because the staple fasteners 17 have no portion present on the winding surfaces of the reel 10.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 4, and 6, there is shown an expanding apparatus 40 by means of which the above-described shaping operation may be performed. The expanding apparatus 40 has a frame plate 41 which is adapted to be secured in a vertical position to any suitable support. A plurality (here six) of driven sprocket wheels 42 are rotatably mounted on the plate 41 in a uniformly spaced and circular arrangement. Also rotatably mounted on the plate 41 intermediate two of the sprocket wheels 42 is a driving sprocket wheel 43 to which is attached one end of a manually operable lever 44. The sprocket wheel 43 is connected by a sprocket chain 45 with each of the sprocket wheels 42 whereby operation of the lever 44 may impart a simultaneous rotary motion in either direction to the sprocket wheels 42. Fixed to each of the sprocket wheels 42 and movable therewith is one end of an arm 46. The other end of the arm 46 is fitted with a post 47 extending in a direction away from the plate 41 and rotatably supporting a disk segment 48 at its free end at a suitable distance from the arm 46. The disk segments 48 are conveniently formed from a circular metal disk having a diameter somewhat less than that of the openings 13 and 13A and having a shallow groove 49 in its peripheral surface of a width slightly greater than the combined thickness of the united reel blanks 11 and 12. The arms 46 are arranged to be angularly displaced inwardly to positions where the disk segments 48 abut each other in a circular arrangement as shown in FIG- URE 4. It is desirable that a spring 50 be connected between each post 47 and its respective segment 48 to urge the segment 48 to the position relative its respective arm 46 shown in FIGURE 4.

In use of the expanding apparatus 40, the disk segments 48 are initially moved inwardly to their contracted positions in adjacent relationship as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. The fiat united blanks 11 and 12 are then placed upon the contracted disk segments 48 with the disk segments projecting through the openings 13 and 13A. With the blanks 11 and 12 so disposed, the lever 44 is actuated to move the segments 48 outwardly while at the same time the inner peripheries of the blanks 11 and 12 are guided into the groove 49 of the disk segments 48 as shown in FIGURE 5. Upon further movement of the lever 44 to shift the segments 48 outwardly, the segments 48 exert radially outward forces against the inner ends of the tabs 15 and 15A which force apart the outer peripheral portions 16 and 16A, respectively, of the blanks 11 and 12 as the tabs 15 and 15A bend at their outer ends and at lines adjacent the inner end portions supported by the portions of the groove 49 of the segments 48. As the movement of the lever 44 is continued, the disk segments 48 move outwardly further to the positions shown in FIGURE 6 where the blanks 11 and 12 have been shaped to final reel form. It will be noted that although the segments 48 move away from each other during the shaping operation, the inner ends of the tabs 15 and 15A remain in fiat-wise engaging relation with each other supported within the respective portions of the groove 49 because the segments 48 are free to turn on the posts 47. Thus, the inner ends of the tabs 15 and 15A are held in a common plane while being subjected to the radial outwardly directed shaping forces of the segments 48.

After the reel has been shaped as described above, the lever 44 may be actuated in a reverse direction to return the segments 48 to their contracted positions, thus releasing the shaped reel 10 for use. The segments 48 Waatnmmantmn which had been rotated from their initial positions during the shaping operation are returned to their initial positions by the springs 50. The expanding apparatus 40 is then ready to repeat the shaping operation with another pair of united blanks 11 and 12.

It will be observed that the reel of the present invention may be formed from inexpensive foldable material such as corrugated paperboard with a minimum use of material since the body portion 18 is formed from a portion of the blanks 11 and 12 which would otherwise be discarded. While a reel of substantial strength is thus provided using only a minimum of material, additional strength may be obtained if desired by merely wrapping an additional strip of flexible material about the body portion 18. However, it will be noted that such a strip is not needed for liner purposes as in prior constructions of paperboard reels because no staples or other fasteners are present on the winding surfaces of the reel which might scratch or otherwise damage the goods wound upon the reel. By the method of assembling the reel described, the reel blanks can be easily and economically united while in flat condition and then shipped and stored in such condition, yet be easily shaped to reel form at the place of use with inexpensive and compact apparatus.

Although only a single embodiment of the improved reel and a single example of the method of constructing the reel have been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of shaping a reel from a pair of superposed, fiat, substantially identical, sheet-like blanks each having a central opening and inner and outer peripheral portions, the inner peripheral portions of each blank having equally-spaced, open-ended radial slits defining a series of tabs integrally joined at their outer edges to said outer peripheral portion, said blanks being united solely by fastening means securing the inner end portions of the tabs of one blank to the inner end portions of the tabs of the other blank, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) supporting the inner peripheral edges of the blanks in a common plane so that the tabs are free to bend along lines adjacent to said supported inner peripheral edges; and

(b) simultaneously applying radial outwardly-directed forces to the inner peripheral edges of the united blanks to cause the tabs to bend at their outer edges and at lines adjacent to said supported inner peripheral edges as said outer peripheral portions of the blanks are forced apart.

2. A method of constructing a reel from two flat substantially identical sheet-like blanks each having a central opening and inner and outer peripheral portions, the inner peripheral portion of each blank having equally-spaced, open-ended radial slits defining a series of tabs integrally joined at their outer edges to said outer peripheral portions, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) superposing the two flat blanks in opposing relation;

(b) applying fastening means solely to the inner end portions of the tabs of the blanks to unite the blanks;

(c) supporting the united inner end portions of the tabs of the blanks in a common plane; and

(d) while so supporting the blanks, simultaneously applying a substantially uniform radial outwardly-directed force against the inner edge of each of the tabs to force apart the outer peripheral portions of said blanks as said tabs bend at their outer edges and at lines adjacent to their supported end portions.

3. A method of constructing a reel from foldable formretaining sheet-like material comprising the steps of (a) cutting out two substantially identical annular flat blanks each having a central Opening and inner and outer peripheral portions;

5 6 (b) cutting a series of equally-spaced, open-ended slits (f) while so supporting the blanks, simultaneously apin the inner peripheral portion of each blank to form plying radial outwardly-directed forces to the inner a series of uniform tabs integrally joined at their edges of the tabs to force apart the outer peripheral outer edges to said outer peripheral portion; portions of said blanks as said tabs bend at their (0) superposing the fiat blanks in opposing relation; 5 outer edges and at lines adjacent to their supported (d) securing the inner end portions of the tabs of one end portions.

blank to the corresponding inner end portions of the tabs of the opposing blank; No references cited,

(e) supporting the secured end portions of the tabs of of the blanks in a common plane so that said tabs are 10 FRANK E, B L Primary Examiner free to bend along lines adjacent to said supported end portions; and 

1. A METHOD OF SHAPING A REEL FROM A PAIR OF SUPERPOSED, FLAT, SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL, SHEET-LIKE BLANKS EACH HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING AND INNER AND OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTIONS, THE INNER PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF EACH BLANK HAVING EQUALLY-SPACED, OPEN-ENDED RADIAL SLITS DEFINING A SERIES OF TABS INTEGRALLY JOINED AT THEIR EDGES TO SAID OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION, SAID BLANKS BEING UNITED SOLEY BY FASTENING MEANS SECURING THE INNER END PORTIONS OF THE TABS OF ONE BLANK TO THE INNER END PORTIONS OF THE TABS OF THE OTHER BLANK, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) SUPPORTING THE INNER PERIPHERAL EDGES OF THE BLANKS IN A COMMON PLANE SO THAT THE TABS ARE FREE TO BEND ALONG LINES ADJACENT TO SAID SUPPORTED INNER PERIPHERAL EDGES; AND (B) SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING RADIAL OUTWARDLY-DIRECTED FORCES TO THE INNER PERIPHERAL EDGES OF THE UNITED BLANKS TO CAUSE THE TABS TO BEND AT THEIR OUTER EDGES AND AT LINES ADJACENT TO SAID SUPPORTED INNER PERIPHERAL EDGES AS SAID OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF THE BLANKS ARE FORCED APART. 